Like A Scroll
by Jameson Rook
Summary: "He saw the words of love that he'd written with his mouth. His teeth. His lips. His tongue. And he saw their story written across the scraped, bruised surface of her skin like an ancient scroll." Post-Always


_**Disclaimer: Castle and all of its characters belong to Andrew W. Marlowe, Terri Edda Miller, and ABC Studio Productions. There is also a quote from **__**The Grey**__**. **_

__"Beckett, what do you want?" Castle growled, his voice full of built up animosity that served to hide the pleasant surprise of seeing her there.

"You." Kate whispered in response before closing the gap and capturing his surprised gasp in her kiss. She melted their lips together, trying to convey everything that she felt for him in that kiss. When she pulled away, his breath was ragged against her face, their noses nuzzling together gently. She laid her forehead against his, not wanting to break the connection. "I'm so sorry, Castle. I'm so sorry." She swallowed down a sob that threatened to escape her. "I'm so sorry." She leaned in for another kiss, but it was cut short by his hands on her biceps, reluctantly pulling her away from him. He looked at her a moment before speaking.

"What happened?"

__"He got away, and I didn't care. I almost died and all I could think about was you." Kate paused, surveying his face, her heartbreaking at the pain she saw there. Pain that she'd caused. "I just want you." She leaned in to kiss him, but stopped, allowing him to move when he was ready. She reached her hand out to his face, as if she was trying to smooth out the worry lines that creased his handsome features.

Then, before she could even completely process what was happening, a flash of lightning illuminated the loft and her back was slammed against the door, Castle's warm lips were attatched to hers. She leaned into the kiss desperately, her hands moving over the solid planes of his back under the soft, maroon dress shirt.

His mouth moved to her neck, his teeth grazing the taut cords sensually. A slow burn began in her stomach when his head dropped down between her breasts, his lips grazing over the thick, puckered skin of her scar. Kate's stomach clenched when Rick pulled his head back and popped the top buttons of her shirt to reveal the dark scar. He stared at it a moment, his ragged breathing the only sound in the room. His gaze seemed to sear her skin, and she didn't have to ask to know what he was thinking.

She couldn't count the number of times that she'd found herself standing in front of the mirror, her finger tracing the outline of the bullet wound, and heard his words echoing through her head.

She picked up his hand and placed it over her heart, letting him feel that she was still alive, that she was here and that she was _his_. She wasn't going anywhere. The scrap of his warm, rough palm over his hardened nipple was just an added bonus. She drew her hand slowly up his chest and to his face, pulling him into a reassuring kiss.

Rick's tongue slipped over hers, his lips molding perfectly against hers as he shifted even closer. It was like they couldn't hold each other tight enough, the flood of four years spent too far apart finally hitting them completely. When they broke apart for air, a content smile broke across her face. She slipped her hand down to his, his warm fingers curling around hers, and led him towards the bedroom.

By the time that they'd reached the office, they had both grown impatient. Her back connected with the book case as he lifted her off the ground, wrapping her legs around his waist. A soft groan escaped her lips when his hardened length ground forward into her center. His teeth nipped their way down the underside of her jaw, a hot trail simmering on her skin in their wake.

He made quick work of the rest of the buttons on her shirt, pushing it off her shoulders and off her arms to let the sopping wet material fall to the carpet. His fingers moved to trace abstract patterns over the rain-chilled curves of her sun-kissed skin. He watched his fingers, a silent infatuation taking over his actions.

Her skin was bruised and scraped, he noticed, and his questioning gaze caught her eyes. His brown hair hung over his crystal blue eyes, waiting for her to answer the question that he knew she was asking.

"Espo and I tracked down the sniper, but he got the drop on us. Knocked Javier out cold, and I chased him to the roof. I lost him, and he hit me. We fought, he pushed me over the edge, and he just left me hanging there." She tried to choke back the panic that bubbled up in her throat when she thought back to the open space between her and the concrete below. When she looked back at him, her heart broke at the sight of wet tears tracking down his cheeks.

"I should never have left you. I...I shouldn't have..." He stammered, his face dropping and his chin settling onto his chest. She hooked her index finger under his chin and lifted his face again.

"Don't do that, Rick. Don't put this on yourself. I understand why you left. I probably would have if I'd been in your shoes."

"But you're my partner, Kate. It's my job to protect you." She chuckled and kissed him softly.

"Oh, Rick. Aren't you the one that told me that you're so much more than my partner? I guess I've just been a bit blind to it until now, but when I was hanging off that building, I heard you. I heard your voice and that's why I held on. I knew that you were going to save me. You always do, Rick. And," She sighed, a blush creeping up her neck. "And I want you to know that I love you too. I always have." His breath hitched, and his heart was pounding under her fingertips.

He pulled her away from the book case and moved her to his bedroom, gently setting her on the plush black carpet. She stood back far enough to help him out of his shirt, tossing it out of the way and running her hands over his chest. She knew that there was something he'd been hiding under those well tailored suits.

Her lips met the hollow over his collar bone softly, her teeth tracing the salty skin, and her tongue following the trail of the bites. He couldn't suppress a shudder when her hands trailed over the bulging front of his pants. He growled low in his throat, his hips thrusting forward into her palm.

He hooked an arm around her back and lifted her onto the bed, the downfeather comforter contouring around her body perfectly. He moved down her bare torso, placing gentle kisses to her skin before moving to pull her rain-drenched pants over her legs, her black lace panties following them into a pool on the floor with her shoes. She whimpered as his lips blazed a trail up the inside of her thigh until he reached her center.

His tongue flicked over the tight bundle of nerves, the sudden jolt of pleasure causing her to arch off the bed, her hands fisting in the comforter and her mouth dropping open. His teeth grazed the nub and Kate swore that she saw stars behind her closed eyelids.

"_Christ, Rick_." She cursed, her fingers tightening into his hair and pulling him up to her for a kiss. He smirked against her lips as she savored the salty tang of herself on his lips. She caught his lower lip between her teeth, tugging it gently, drawing a thick groan from the back of his throat.

Kate hooked her calf around the back of his thigh, the scrape of his pants over her sensitive bare skin reminded her that he was still overdressed for the situation. She made quick work of undoing his belt and waited for him to shift out of his pants. He stood to divest himself of his boxers as well before settling between her legs, his weight settling onto hers comfortably.

The warmth of his skin threatened to overwhelm her. The smoky scent of scotch lingering on his lips mixed wonderfully with the scents of expensive, exotic coffee and the spicy scent of his cologne to form the scent that was souly _Castle_.

She moved to suck his ear lobe between her teeth, smirking at the shudder that rippled through his body. His hips ground upward against her and they both sighed happily.

"Castle, please." She whispered against his ear, her leg moving up so that it was wrapped around his hips. He entered her in one smooth motion, his length filling her completely. Her nails dug into the muscle of his shoulders and she arched into him, both of them gasping at the complete feeling that flooded through both of them.

Rick waited long enough for her to adjust to his size before he began to move, sliding himself almost completely out before pushing back in. He set a rhythm that had Kate hovering on the edge in a matter of minutes.

Just before she tumbled over, however, Rick slowed himself to almost a stop, his hips only shifting subtly. He reached between them and rubbed his thumb in circles on her nub before picking up the pace of his thrusts again after letting her regain some control. His teeth scraped over the side of her throat as he moved down her chest, ryhtmically kissing her scar in tandem with his staccato thrusts.

Her breath became ragged as her inner muscles clenched around him, her body arching into his and her arms tightening around him.

"_Castle..._" His name tumbling from her lips like a prayer was enough to pull him over the edge with her, his own release tearing from him. He dropped his forehead into the crook of her neck, his arms shaking as he held his weight over her. Kate ran her hands over his back, silently urging him to let himself go. He took the hint and settled against her, kissing the side of her neck a moment before rolling onto his side, pulling her with him as he did so. Kate whimpered as she felt him slide out of her, but allowed her body to be fitted against his side.

Rick ran his fingers in abstract patterns of the bruised and scraped skin under his fingers, mumbling almost silently to himself. He had just reached the middle of her stomach when she twined her fingers with his and looked at him curiously.

"I'm writing." He whispered in response.

"Writing what?"

"The greatest love story that the world has ever seen. It stars a stubborn, enfuriating, beautiful, and strong detective, and an immature, annoying...stupid writer. I'm writing _us_." He smirked, bringing her knuckles to his lips and kissing them softly. She gasped when she caught sight of the deep purple bruising on his knuckles.

"Castle, what the hell is this?"

"I...well, I bought a punching bag a few weeks ago. Figured it would help me to relieve some of the stress. Before Alexis' graduation I gave it a rather intense once over, after I left you. I forgot to buy gloves, I guess, and I just needed something to take my mind off of things." He shrugged, his eyes locking onto her as she kissed it softly.

"I'm sorry that I put you through all of this." She whispered, lacing their fingers again and settling her head on his chest. "I quit."

"You...you what?" He gaped, looking down at her curiously.

"Gates put me and Esposito on administrative leave, but I told her I resigned. I was able to watch one of the men that knows who tried to shoot me, and knows who killed my mother walk away, and I didn't care anymore. So, I resigned. I'm all yours, Rick." He stared at her a moment before pulling her into a deep kiss.

"Say it again." He whispered into the kiss.

"I'm all yours."

"No, not that. You know what I want to hear." He replied.

"I love you." She smirked as they pulled apart and she tucked her head under his chin, kissing his chest softly.

"I love you too, Kate. Can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

"What made you sure that this is what you wanted? Coming over here and diving into this?" She paused a moment before answering.

"There are some things in life that make you want that next moment more than the next. Makes you fight for it. In my case, it was you. I knew that you were my one and done, and I wasn't going to die without telling you that." Rick smiled tenderly at her and pressed a kiss to her forehead. She curled into him further and allowed sleep to overtake her.

For the first time in months, Rick allowed himself to really look at her. He saw the words of love that he'd written with his mouth. His teeth. His lips. His tongue. And he saw their story written across the scraped, bruised surface of her skin like an ancient scroll.

After everything that they'd been through, they had finally reached a point where they were on the same page. They had reached a point of understanding. She was his everything, and nothing was going to change that. She was his.

Always.


End file.
